Etro's Boon
by Paint Smear
Summary: Etro, the ever meddling goddess, has done it once again! Genderswitch! *gasp* But I'm not telling who, and you won't find out till sometime later...mwa-ha-ha. Flight.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all these characters!  
**

**Author's note: **I stuck with the westernized version of all their names this time. Aren't you proud of me?**  
**

**Summary: **Genderswitch fic, but I won't say who yet. :P (Though it's quite obvious, really.)

**Etro's Boon**

**Chapter 1: Lightning's Day**

"To Claire Farron, my dearest sister."

Lightning flipped the brown package over and tried to pry it open with calm dignity. Her twitching fingers endured this for a full minute before giving way to impatience, and she began tearing off the thick wrapper with a vengeance.

"Stupid-ngh-wrapper…!" She growled through gritted teeth.

Scraps of brown paper floated to the ground dismally. A blue head poked in through her still open front door.

"Oh yeah, Lightning! I forgot to pass you this ca–" Yuj paused in mid-speech to stare at the mess that pooled her feet.

Lightning's face reddened instantly. She had received the package from Yuj just moments before, with barely more than a grunt of acknowledgement, _carefully_ forcing an expression of casual indifference even after the puzzled teen had repeated that it was sent from "_Serah_...your, your little sister…?".

The blue-haired teen now looked at her with a knowing twinkle in his eye. In that desperate instant, Lightning briefly considered the prospect of murder.

"…_what?_" She growled, glaring at him menacingly.

Yuj had the grace not to smile.

"I forgot to pass you this card from Serah." He repeated, holding up a crisp yellow envelope. "It was in my pocket."

Lightning held onto the package, almost possessively, and stepped forward to pluck the envelope out of his extended hand. He smiled encouragingly as she turned her face away to savor her sister's delicate script on the big envelope.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then." Yuj said gently, getting a little misty-eyed.

The NORA member was just turning to leave when he heard Lightning's voice crack at him like a whip.

"Hold it!" She ordered sharply, storm clouds brewing on her face. "You never had this in your pocket, did you?"

Yuj gulped.

"Aha-ha-ha…what do you mean, Lightning?"

Lightning advanced slowly towards him, the air about her sparking dangerously.

"You were trying to spy on me…_weren't you?_"

The blue-haired teen fled.

"_I just wanted to see what was inside…!_" He yelled back, voice trailing off to a distant cry.

Lightning glared at Yuj's retreating back and shut the door forcefully.

"Hmph." She grunted, her face still flushed from embarrassment. "Idiot."

* * *

Lightning scanned through the offensively cheerful greeting card for the fifth time and gave a forlorn sigh.

"Serah…when are you coming back?"

She tapped the polished table impatiently.

_You don't need me now that you have Snow, do you…_

The pink-haired soldier sighed again and buried her face in her gloved hands.

"That's unfair…" Her muffled voice admitted in frustration. "You begged me to come along, didn't you?"

_But I insisted on staying behind for Fang and Vanille…_

"_Tch!_ Who goes off on a honeymoon for six months at a stretch anyway!" Lightning burst out suddenly, bringing her fist down onto the tabletop causing the glass to rattle violently.

Her lips twisted into a characteristic frown.

"He'd better not get her pregnant."

* * *

(Later that night…)

[_Light._]

Lightning tossed and turned in her large bed, annoyed by the ethereal voice in her head.

[_Light._]

She gritted her teeth and wedged her head between two heavy pillows.

_Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

[_Light._][_Light._][_Light._]

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT?_" She yelled at last, slamming her pillows down and forcing herself into an upright position.

But there was only silence. Resisting the urge to swear, Lightning laid back down again and folded her arms behind her head.

_Yet another sleepless night…_

She glanced out of her window and stared unblinkingly at the pristine crystal pillar that towered over the surrounding landscape. It seemed to hold up the very sky. Lightning stretched forth a hand as if to touch the sparkling monument, and grasped at sheer emptiness. She clenched her hand into a tight fist, till her knuckles turned white, before finally letting it drop lifelessly to her side with a little sigh.

Deep in the heart of the enchanting pillar slept two of her…dear friends. They were locked in crystal stasis…frozen in time and space. Forever blissfully detached from the rest of the world…

…_from me._

Lightning turned her back to the window. The thought of the two of them sleeping side by side through all eternity suddenly became too much to bear. She blinked back unbidden tears.

_I miss you…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all these characters!  
**

**Author's note: **Thanks for reading, Peachy! :)**  
**

**Summary: **Genderswitch fic, but I won't say who yet. :P (Though it's quite obvious, really.)

**Etro's Boon**

**Chapter 2: The Heroines' Return  
**

_**Bam! Bam! Bam!**_

Lightning woke up with a start.

"Wha–?"

She looked about her room dazedly, vaguely aware that something was not quite right. Her entire bedroom, for one, was cast with a bright orange glow.

"Huh?"

_**Bam! Bam! Bam!**_

Someone was banging hard on her door, trying valiantly to get in.

_Orange?_

_**Bam! Bam! Bam!**_

_F– Fire…!_

She immediately pounced out of bed, raced to her front door and wrenched it open – it wasn't even locked. A dark, burly man stood in front of her, his huge fist raised in mid-knock.

"Lightni–"

"– _move_ _aside_, you fool! Where's the fire?"

Gadot's lips parted in surprise.

"Fire?" He repeated dumbly.

"There's no fire, Lightning." Lebreau interjected smoothly, with a polished smile. The surly pink-haired soldier looked like she was about to explode with impatience, and the wise barmaid decided to head that off before anyone got hurt. "It's the crystal pillar."

"It's glowing orange!" Maqui quickly added, pointing excitedly at the incandescent crystal column.

Lightning gasped in horror and snapped her face to Gadot, forcefully grabbing the hems of his rugged jacket.

"_What did you do?_" She raged, shaking him violently for an answer.

"Wha–? I…I didn't do anything!" The man stammered, taken aback by the dreadful intensity of her voice. "I swear!"

Lebreau placed a firm hand on Lightning's arm.

"Stop that!" She said sharply. "It's not his fault! The crystal was already glowing like this when it was discovered at dawn."

"Yeah!" The blond teen affirmed worriedly.

Lightning hesitated.

"We came to tell you immediately." Lebreau continued soothingly, withdrawing her hand. "We know how much you care about Fang and Vanille."

The soldier's head twitched slightly at the mention of their names. Swallowing thickly, she released her grip on poor Gadot. The man quickly backed away from her, as if he were afraid she'd change her mind.

Lebreau smiled in relief. "Great! Now why don't you go get dressed and we'll all go check out the crystal pillar together?"

Lightning acknowledged the barmaid with a curt nod and disappeared into her apartment. As soon as she went out of earshot, Gadot brushed back his fiery hair with a mournful sigh.

"She's always so hard on me…"

"Oh, be a man." Lebreau chided, playfully poking Gadot in the chest. "She's harder on Snow."

The huge man smiled briefly but the hurt was still evident in his eyes. He shook his head dejectedly.

Maqui grinned.

"Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed, Gadot! Lightning strikes fear even in the hearts of the Fal'cies!" The boy paused. "Well, if they _had_ one at any rate."

"I'm _not_ embarrassed!" He retorted, flaring up. "I'm j– just…just…"

"Yes…?" Maqui taunted with a devilish grin.

Gadot stared at the impudent boy, completely at a loss for words. He turned beet red.

"I'll kill you!"

Lebreau sighed theatrically and folded her arms, not unamused.

"Let's go." A brisk voice beside the barmaid said shortly, making the latter start with surprise.

"Lightning!"

Gadot and Maqui straightened up immediately and eyed the uniformed soldier with trepidation. Lightning strode past them wordlessly, her heart pounding with fear. Suppose anything happened to the two of them…?

Lebreau caught up with her at a half-jog and smiled gently.

"This might actually be a good sign, you know."

_A miracle? If only…_

* * *

A huge crowd had gathered around the crystal pillar by the time Lightning and the NORA gang arrived on the scene. The soldiers on duty were cautioning them to back away, suggesting it was possible that the entire structure might collapse. Despite this, many of the residents remained in high spirits – possibly fueled by the crystal's mesmerizing glow – and even joked amongst themselves that they stood a better chance of survival standing right _next_ to it.

What if the huge ball on top rolled right down their way? They'd all be squished like pancakes!

Oh, _that's_ bad? Imagine if that thing started rolling circles around their town! They'd be in _real_ trouble then!

And they all laughed uproariously, much to the irritation of the edgy soldiers.

"How distasteful." Lebreau observed, annoyed at the flippant way in which the Cocoonites referred to their homeland.

Gadot growled and clenched his fists tightly. Maqui simply shook his head in disapproval.

_Please, _please_ let them be safe…! _

"I'm going in." Lightning muttered, forcing her way through the buzzing crowd.

"We're coming along!"

The four of them inched their way to the frontline by taking turns to deliver menacing glares, threatening growls and sharp elbow jabs to those who stubbornly blocked their path.

"Hey, _no_ pushing! Ah – Sergeant Lightning!" The soldier's face flushed instantly, bringing his hand to his helmet in a crisp salute.

"Who's in charge?" She replied tonelessly.

"Er…Lieutenant Amodar himself. But he's busy convening with the other soldiers on evacuation strategies."

_Doesn't anyone _care_ about Fang and Vanille? They sacrificed themselves to save our world!_

"I'm going in to take a closer look." She muttered distractedly.

The soldier winced. He had been afraid of just that.

"But I'm under orders to–"

"–I wasn't asking."

The poor man quailed under her cold stare and bowed his head in defeat. Lightning then turned to the eagerly awaiting trio and crushed their hopes with a slight shake of her head. They had come all this way simply to be turned away at the last moment…by Lightning herself!

"This sucks." Maqui sighed morosely after she had left them. Gadot ruffled his blond hair in an attempt to pacify him. Lebreau stretched her arms and groaned wearily.

"Doesn't she know that we care about them too?"

* * *

Lightning sat cross legged in front of the now "normal" crystal tower, numbly aware that the sky had grown dark and the air had thinned to a cold chill. Nearly everyone had gone home to their warm, inviting beds, either believing that the scare was over or blithely investing their absolute trust in the government officials – thinking that they would take care of it. No one could come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sudden glowing of the crystal, or why it extinguished shortly after – much to general surprise and, for some, disappointment. The whole affair had been embarrassingly anti-climatic.

"Light?" A gentle voice greeted her from behind.

She breathed in deeply. The chilly night breeze felt hugely therapeutic.

"Hope." She acknowledged, without turning around.

The silver-haired boy sat down beside her and stared straight ahead at the shimmering crystal. Like her, he took in slow, deep breaths to savor the night air.

"I've been thinking over what father proposed." He said quietly. "And I've decided to go for it."

Lightning simply smiled. "I'm glad."

"I want to dedicate my life to rescuing them out of their imprisonment."

"Hope…" Lightning began in a dissuading tone. "Don't do it for the wrong reasons."

_Don't obsess about it. You'll only feel more pain._

Hope shook his head tiredly.

"Everyone's pretty much moved on with their lives after the demise of Cocoon." He whispered. "But I haven't."

The teen turned to Lightning.

"And neither have you."

The pink-haired soldier stared at his innocent, youthful face and hugged him impulsively.

"Ah–!"

"Don't come back from the Academy sounding like Snow…" She warned softly, arms still tightly wrapped around the blushing boy. "I won't forgive you if you do."

Hope grinned awkwardly.

"Anything but that…"

* * *

Lightning walked Hope home before heading back to her abode. She grimly considered the day's events even as she walked through her front door.

_I really should remember to lock up…_

The soldier pulled off her jacket and threw it to the floor with a frustrated sigh. She started for her bedroom, but stopped to pick up the jacket instead – almost as an afterthought – and carried it in with her.

Not bothering to switch on the light, the seasoned soldier reached out expertly to grab the clothes hanger for her army jacket.

Lightning suppressed a yawn as she stumbled over to her bed, collapsing on top of it with careless disregard.

She never hit the mattress.

"Argh!" Someone groaned in pain.

_What the hell!_

"_Ngh!_" Lightning cried, rolling off her bed at once. She hit the lights so quickly, it dignified her name, and gasped in plain shock.

"Fang!"


End file.
